1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of reconfigurable structural members.
2. Description of the Related Art
Metal foam materials have been used in static structures, such as for bone replacement.
Shape memory polymer materials have been used for morphing or shape changing structures, components, and hardware. Unlike shape memory alloys, shape memory polymers do not exert enough force during shape change to overcome anything but the weakest of forces. Attempts have been made to develop structural supports to prevent the shape memory polymer material from warping out of desired shapes. However, this has been found to severely limit the shape changes that practically can be achieved.
It will be appreciated that there is room for improvement in the area of use of shape memory polymer materials.